1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for performing chemical and biological analyses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a priming module with an adapter that enables a single priming module to be used for priming a variety of both single channel and multiple channel microfluidic chips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microfluidic analytical techniques are often used in chemical and biological testing because of advantages such as the ability to employ small sample sizes. Microfluidic analysis generally involves the movement of minute quantities of fluid substances. The use of microfluidic analysis is particularly useful when DNA samples are being tested, as DNA samples are typically gathered in relatively small sample sizes.
Samples which are to be analyzed using microfluidic analytical techniques should be held by or within a suitable “sample receiver.” As such, sample-receiving substrates, or microfluidic substrates, are often used to perform chemical and biological analyses, e.g., DNA analysis of biological specimens. Microfluidic substrates generally have networks of chambers connected by channels which have mesoscale dimensions such that at least one dimension usually falls in the range of between 0.1 micrometers (μm) and 500 μm.
Sample substrates such as DNA sipper chips, which are microfluidic substrates that have at least one sipper coupled thereon, are typically primed prior to testing. Chips are generally primed for sample analysis to prevent, for example, air bubbles from being present in matrix mixtures that are used to fill channels, and wells, within a chip. The presence of air bubbles in matrix mixtures in a chip may adversely affect the testing of chemical or biological samples using the chip. Priming may also draw a marker mix into the chip, and if the chip includes a sipper, initiates the sipper, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
The priming of a chip, if performed inaccurately or incorrectly, may cause an analysis performed using the chip to be erroneous and, hence, unreliable. Further, if a test on a minute sample of material is incorrectly performed, repeating the test may be difficult, as there may not be enough of a material sample available to perform a new test. As it is often not known at the time a test is made whether the chip has been primed correctly, it is important to make certain that priming procedures are accurate, and that priming apparatuses are precise, to reduce the likelihood of inaccurate test results.
Priming stations are often used to support a chip during a priming process to enhance the repeatability of a priming process, and to increase the likelihood that a priming procedure occurs correctly. One conventional priming station has a base which is designed to support a chip, and a top which is coupled to the base in a “clam shell,” or hinged, configuration. A syringe is generally coupled to the top such that the syringe may pressurize a well on a chip when the top of the priming station is sealed over the base of the priming station. The syringe primes one well on the chip at a time. As a result, when more than one well is to be primed, the top of the priming station is unsealed from the base of the priming station, and altered such that a different well on the chip may be primed. For each well that is to be primed on a given chip, the priming station is altered.
The use of a hinged priming station is effective in priming a chip. However, priming only one well at a time is inefficient when the priming of more than one well is desired. In addition, conventional priming stations are generally specific to a particular chip configuration. That is, conventional priming stations are generally arranged such that any given priming station is only appropriate for priming a chip with a particular topography, or configuration. Hence, if chips of more than one configuration are to be tested, then multiple priming stations may be required, which is costly and inefficient.
Therefore, what is needed is a priming system which may be modified for use with a variety of different chip configurations, including configurations in which more than one well is to be primed. That is, what is desired is an overall priming system which is both capable of priming chips of different types and configurations, and is relatively inexpensive.